


twisting corridors

by JkWriter



Series: Warcraft Drabbles [3]
Category: Warcraft (2016), Warcraft - All Media Types, World of Warcraft
Genre: Karazhan, Khadgar Goes Exploring, Mentions of Medivh, Mentions of Silvermoon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-22
Updated: 2016-06-23
Packaged: 2018-07-16 13:33:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7270324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JkWriter/pseuds/JkWriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“There should be a map for this place.” He mused, using magic to help him bring the cart down a set of stairs. He was not expecting what was waiting for him at the bottom. Perhaps calling Lothar wouldn’t be such a bad idea.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Exploring Karazhan in it’s full was one of the first things he did when the Tower was granted to him. 

He still wasn't sure that was the smartest move. Yes, he was a Mage and a rather good one at that, and yes he had once been in the Kirin Tor, once being the keyword, but gifting him Karazhan and the title of Guardian was a bold move. He was still learning, still growing his power. Magic wasn't something that came easy, it had to be worked for and he was still trying. However, in the eyes of those in Azeroth, being the one who had defeated Medivh, even though Lothar was there and did half the work, gave him special circumstances in which he was named Guardian.

So far the job had been relatively easy. The Orcs were retreating, all trying to find their footing in a land where they were not welcome. Stormwind was still mourning the loss of their King at the betrayal of someone they had felt to be there friend. Lothar himself was leading the manhunt to find Garona. Khadgar had been offered a position on the team but he still felt there was something they were missing. 

All and all being Guardian was simple. Attend meetings when requested and be sure Azeroth stayed alive. They were both things Khadgar could do. Lady Taria made it easy by sending one of her men every couple of days to check on him. Khadgar was grateful for the company, even if it was just for a few hours. Medivh, in all his time here, was never truly alone. He at least had Moroes. Khadgar had a water elemental he had learned to summon just hours ago.

Due to the fact that Azeroth was safe, for the time being anyhow, he had taken to reading and exploring. Both at the same time as everywhere he went new books were found. A simple bag had not been enough. He now pushed a cart around to gather all the books so that he may place them all in the library. Or the study. Depending on how much he wanted to read it. 

On any day Khadgar could be found, book in his hand, as he pushed the massive cart throughout the tower. He had started on the bottom, where the stables rested. There were apparitions of horses, likely spectral steeds created by Medivh himself. One in particular that caught his eye was simply named Attumen, after the human he was created for. The horse, of course, hated him. Not that Khadgar expected much more.

From there he made his way up into the Banquet Hall. Why Karazhan had a massive Banquet Hall when there were no banquets he didn't know. It was easier for him not to think about it as he made his way through the maze that was the tower. 

It was easy to see how Medivh had fallen victim to the Fel when he was nearly all alone in a tower like this. There were hundreds of rooms, hundreds of places there could be something lurking in the dark. Khadgar didn’t like how empty, how void it felt. He came to appreciate the Queen’s men more and more.

Occasionally Lothar would be the one to check on him. Those days the two would spend talking about anything and everything. The war, the lives lost, what they were doing these days. Khadgar got to ramble on about new spells and all the books he had found while Lothar got to speak about his progress in finding Orcs. 

They never mentioned Garona. It was an unspoken agreement between them.

Today was like any other day for Khadgar. He awoke early in the morning, spent an hour finishing the book he had started the previous night before going to the library and collecting the cart. He picked up another book, the History of Arcane Magic, written by Medivh himself, and started making his rounds throughout the massive tower. 

He crossed the Opera Hall first. It seemed rather out of place in the tower but he paid no mind to it. There wasn’t much inside of it expect the remains of what looked like different scripts and the massive organ. 

Khadgar, intrigued by the feeling he got looking at it, crept over to the organ. The organ itself was a magnificent instrument. No doubt at one point in it’s past it entertained guests invited to Karazhan, but those days were long past. It seemed as though it hadn’t been played in years. Khadgar doubted Moroes or Medivh knew how to play it’s notes. 

He reached out, letting his fingers drifted over the keys. A shiver made it’s way down his back as he touched the instrument. For a second, he himself was in the past. He stumbled back as the figure of what appeared to be a man drifted into existence. His fingers ghosted across the keys. Voices boomed from the side. Rather than the empty Opera Hall people were scattered amongst the seats, all cheering for actors bowing after a performance. 

Just as quickly as the moment started, it ended, and once again he was alone. 

“Right, well, that wasn’t strange at all.” 

He had half the mind to call someone from Stormwind, a Priest or Paladin, but he refrained from it. It was still early and there were still plenty of things to explore. Besides, it was likely just his imagination. 

At least that’s what he kept telling himself. 

As he made his way through the massive tower he couldn’t help but shake the feeling someone was watching him, but that wasn’t enough reason to bother the residents of Stormwind. They were still recovering. 

“There should be a map for this place.” He mused, using magic to help him bring the cart down a set of stairs. 

He was not expecting what was waiting for him at the bottom. 

Perhaps calling Lothar wouldn’t be such a bad idea. 

\---

“Khadgar?” Lothar called as he entered Karazhan. He had received a request by the Mage himself to come to the tower. It was worrying as Khadgar, in his entire time here, hadn’t once asked for visitors. Taria always sent them. 

“This way!” A voice called. He turned and was met with a creature. A creature made of water. That was… New. The creature turned and motioned for him to follow. Knowing that it was likely something Khadgar had created, as the kid had far too much time on his hands, he stepped forward to follow, but kept his hand resting on his sword just in case. 

The water creature led him through the halls of Karazhan, some he hadn’t seen in years, others he didn’t know existed. Had the tower always been this large?

Khadgar, as he expected, was reading when he finally found him. The water being dissipated as he approached the Mage. 

“You should invest in creating a map. I’ll never be able to get out of him.” Khadgar looked up from his book. 

“I was thinking the same thing. There are a lot of rooms that need to be labeled. Speaking of rooms, there’s one in particular I want you to see.” Khadgar pushed himself up off the set of steps he had been sitting on. “Come along then.”

Without waiting for a response he started down the stairs, only hoping Lothar would follow. Lothar, for his part, was allowing Khadgar the benefit of the doubt. While he liked to share the mages enthusiasm for this one room, he wasn’t sure what could be so exciting. 

At the bottom of the stairs Khadgar waited. He stepped aside allowing Lothar entrance. Lothar walked into the room and promptly froze on the spot. There was no possible way Medivh had actually built this in Karazhan. 

“I’m thinking of naming it the Gamesman’s Hall. What do you think?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which lothar discovers the wonders of mages who play chess and khadgar tries showing off

“There is a giant chess board. In the middle of Karazhan.”

“Why yes, how observant of you.” Khadgar had moved to lean against the railing, watching as Lothar stared at the discovery in wonder just as he had only hours earlier. 

It was a bit much to take in. They had known Medivh was a bit… Strange. After all, the previous Guardian had sent away everyone from the tower except Moroes, however having a room that was entirely a chess board was a bit much, even for him.  
“No need to bring sarcasm into this conversation. This is a bit much to understand. It is, after all, a giant chess board in the middle of Karazhan.” 

Lothar stepped past Khadgar to enter the room fully. The floor beneath his feet was tiled in the familiar black and white squares. The board looked exactly like the game he, along with Llane and Medivh, used to play in their younger years. Perhaps that is why Medivh had it built. 

A memory came into his mind. He turned to face Khadgar. “Medivh always cheated at chess. He couldn’t stand not winning.”

“He cheated? It likely wasn’t that. Mages play chess different than most others. He likely used what he had learned in Dalaran and incorporated it into a normal chess game, thus giving the appearance of cheating.”  
“What exactly is a ‘normal’ chess game for mages then, Spell Chucker.” 

Khadgar grinned and Lothar was already beginning to regret asking. Before he could process it, Khadgar was chanting under his breath and the room was glowing a soft shade a blue. The light was not as strong as it would have been had the spell been for an attack. Instead it was dim enough he could see with little to no trouble.

Pieces began to take their places along the edge of the board. Lothar watched, transfixed at the pieces appeared out of nowhere. No matter how many times he saw it, magic always caught his eye. 

The pieces themselves were large, towering over him. It seemed that Mages didn’t hold back when it came to chess. If Medivh had learned playing like this it was no wonder he had a knack for cheating. 

“This, is normal chess for those of us in Dalaran.”

Khadgar said, proud of himself for casting the spell so easily. Lothar stepped down onto the chessboard. He walked towards the black king until he was standing below it. He had to look up to see the top of the piece which stood at least three feet taller than him. 

“Have you always known how to conjure these? That water thing, that was new, but the way you casted that spell was with ease.”

“Ah, not quite. I was never good at structuring the pieces, however I can pull them from whatever pocket they have been stored in. These pieces are from another room directly below us, or above. I’m not sure which. I’m actually surprised I managed to get them all.” 

“You need to give yourself more credit, kid. I saw you single handedly push back the Fel. If you can do that summoning a couple of chess pieces should be easy. Though these are a bit large.” Lothar frowned. “How are you supposed to play, exactly?”

“And that, my friend, is where the magic part comes in. These pieces are enchanted, you control them. As in you get into the piece and control it. With that comes the abilities. You don’t play this like normal chess, you fight the other person’s pieces with whatever ability your own have. You can even heal your own pieces.” 

Lothar felt Khadgar was getting far too into his explanation, but he couldn’t be bothered to stop him. He let him drown on and on about the various rules of the game while he himself continued his inspection of the pieces. He had to admit, this version of chess seemed rather fun compared to the one he was used to. The smallest pieces, the pawns, like the others were taller than him. It was certainly a different take on the game. 

The pieces faded from existence around him. He craned his head to Khadgar chanting the same spell he had before, just with a few minor variations. 

“You made quite the discovery. We will have to play, sometime.” 

“Typically the games involve at least ten people on each side, but I’m sure we’ll manage with two.” 

Leave it to Khadgar to correct him with something as little as playing chess. 

“Since I’m here, do you have any other mystery rooms to show me?”

“There is plenty I’ve discovered, however you may have already seen them. Nonetheless I shall give you the full tour of what I’ve found so far, starting at the front of the tower.” 

“The front of the tower?”

“Yes.”

“You mean the front of the tower that might take hours for us to reach from this point?” 

“Right. That is the one.”

“Khadgar, would you like to explain to me why starting the tour there would be better than starting here and working back?” 

There was that grin again. Lothar didn’t want to know what the young Mage had in mind. There was no way that look could mean anything good. 

“I have a spell I’ve been meaning to try. Shall we?” 

Khadgar held out his hand for Lothar to take. It was how he had when he teleported them out of the barracks in Stormwind. It wasn’t that Lothar didn’t trust Khadgar, it was just the Mage hadn’t been able to complete this spell without hand drawing the runes before this. 

Khadgar just stared at him with expectant eyes. 

Lothar sighed and gripped Khadgar’s hand. The Mages eyes glowed blue as he began the spell. It was similar yet different than the one Medivh used, but the result was the same. They were engulfed in the magic and Lothar felt himself grow light headed as they were transported away. 

\---

Khadgar cracked open an eye as the magic retreated from them. He expected to see Karazhan’s front entrance. This was most definitely not Karazhan. 

“Kid, what the hell did you do?”   
All around them the Farstriders of Quel’Thalas had bows drawn and arrows knocked.

Khadgar let out a nervous laugh.

Lothar didn’t know what he expected. There was no way that could have ended well.

“Lion, it’s been too long.” He turned to the source of the voice. His eyes widened as he saw who it was. Standing in front of them was none other than Alleria Windrunner accompanied by both Sylvanas and Vereesa. It appeared as though Alleria was not in a talking mood. “I believe you, as well as your little friend, have some explaining to do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im not sure i like the ending of this chapter, but we're gonna roll with it

**Author's Note:**

> i like the idea of khadgar exploring karazhan


End file.
